ALEXANDRIA, VA-The Virginia High School League is endorsing a University of Wisconsin research study titled “The Impact of Restarting High School Sports on The Health of Adolescent Athletes.”
The study’s objective is to document the effects of participation in organized sports on the physical activity, quality of life, and mental health of adolescent athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Previous studies have found that the cancelation of school and sports in spring 2020 was associated with significant decreases in physical activity, quality of life, and mental health. The UW Health research team is seeking student-athletes to survey one year later to evaluate the impacts of restarting sport participation. Importantly, they are also interested in including athletes who both have and not been able to resume participation to assess the effects of sports for adolescents directly.
The survey asks high school athletes and adolescent club sport athletes between 13 and 18 years old to access and complete a short, anonymous online survey.
Participating athletes should receive permission from their parents. The survey asks a series of questions regarding current and former sport participation, physical activity level, anxiety, depression, and health-related quality of life.
This research project is approved by the University of Wisconsin Institutional Review Board and funded through a National Federation of High School Associations grant.
The direct link to the survey is also available here: https://uwmadison.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_a5EPmtGzgpoGokJ
The researchers’ goal is to acquire as many responses as possible from adolescents across the US to provide timely information to help inform ongoing discussions regarding the re-initiation and continuation of youth sports during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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